Ser y Estar / When should I use the verbs ser and estar?

Question

Ser and estar both mean "to be", when should I use each one?

Ser y estar significan "to be", ¿en cuál situación debería usar cada uno?

Answer 1

Ser vs Estar - Difficult for many students. You need to memorize conjugations as well as the following conditions to use them.

Ser- Use Ser for the following categories

D.O.C.T.O.R-

Date- Hoy es el 3 de marzo.

Occupation - Ella es profesora.

Characteristics-Soy alto y atlético.

Time- Son las dos y media de la tarde.

Origin- Somos Colombianos.

Relationships- Ellos son mis abuelos.

Estar-

How you feel and where you are always use Estar

L.E.T

Location- ¿ Dónde está mi madre? Está en la oficina.

Emotion- ¿ Cómo estás? Estoy muy bien gracias.

Temporary Conditions- Mi café está frío.

Answer 2

Ser

Determina:

género: Soy mujer

color: Eres blanca

estatura: Él es alto

nacionalidad: Ustedes son americanos

oficio: Manuel es carpintero

actividad: Elizabeth es nadadora

profesión: Usted es profesor

cualidad: Mi padre es generoso

característica: El avión es rápido...

Estar

Indica:

lugar: Ellos están en España

estado de ánimo: Ella está enojada

estado civil: Mi primo está casado

dificultad: El examen está difícil

temperatura: El niño está caliente

condición: El preso está enfermo

clima: El día está lluvioso..

Answer 3

Estoy aburrido = I am bored (estoy is the first person conjugation of estar)

Soy aburrido = I am boring (Soy is the first person conjugation of ser)

A good general rule is that estar is used for temporary things, while ser is used for permanent things

Ser: Ella es alta (she is tall)- Being tall is permanent; you can grow but you can't change your height.

1. this verb is also used in many other situations, including:
2. personality types (Soy quisquilloso - I am picky)
3. physical characteristics (Eres rubio - you are blond)
4. professions (Es profesor de inglés - He is an English teacher)
5. nationalities (Soy de México - I am from Mexico)
6. Relationships (Es mi hermana - She is my sister)
7. Time and dates (Son las tres y media - It is three thirty)

Estar: Ella está sorprendida (she is surprised)- Being surprised is temporary, it is not someone's personality trait

1. This verb is also used for
2. temporary feelings (Estoy triste - I am sad)
3. actions (Estoy haciendo mi tarea - I am doing my homework)
4. temporary conditions (el té está frío - The tea is cold)
5. Things in the moment (Esta fiesta está divertida- This party is fun)

Most of these examples follow the general rule with one big EXCEPTION that doesn't quite fit: estar is used for physical locations

Estoy en mi casa - I am in my house

El parque está por allá- the park is over there

Mi madre está en el extranjero- My mother is abroad

Even though some of these are permanent (like the location of a park) and some are temporary (being inside the house), we use estar

1. Be careful, however, because we would also say "El partido es en el estadio de fútbol" (The game is in the soccer stadium) because a game is not a physical thing, like a person or park.

Hope that this helps! :)